Winchester Model 70 in 404 Jeffery

[Nevada Mike]

They likely turn out and sell more .270 and .308’s in a week than safari class cartridges (excluding .375) will sell in years. I was a member of NSSF for a while. Sales for ammo and rifles above .300 Win Mag are miniscule. These companies are in business to make a profit. They will make what sells.

There is not enough market demand to even support ammo manufacturing for the .404 Jeff other than by Hornady and even that is erratic and infrequent at best. .416 Rem dwarfs the .404 in ammo sales, yet Winchester only runs M70 .416’s every couple of years or less often.

Norma makes 404 jeff ammo, available throughout the civilized world.

 

[Maskell Shotgun academy]

So this was a 'one off' problem gun, but another .M70 action worked fine?

I wouldn’t go with one of the new ones made overseas

 

[nomspc]

Jim Brockman made me a matched set, a .375 H&H and a .404 Jeff, from a pair of pre-‘64 actions. The .404 was trouble free with a variety of ammo, so I know it can be done.

 

[Maskell Shotgun academy]

Jim Brockman made me a matched set, a .375 H&H and a .404 Jeff, from a pair of pre-‘64 actions. The .404 was trouble free with a variety of ammo, so I know it can be done.
View attachment 709075

It was never a question on if it could be done on older actions, it was about building trust n the new actions

 

[375Fox]

Norma makes 404 jeff ammo, available throughout the civilized world.

Looks like it’s discontinued according to midway. Still shows on Norma’s website, but not available anywhere. They show other rounds that haven’t been available in long time also like 350 gr 375 H&H.

 

[Rare Breed]

As with any caliber I own, I buy mostly Hornady Ammo since just about only available in large bores, then fairly easy to get bullets then yes pay a small fortune for powder and already stored primers until you get a lifetime supply for reloading. I cry just once to do this but then never worry about ammo again

 

[CoElkHunter]

Cz apparently really left a whole in the market at that price point. I really don’t think anyone is going to be able to fill it. Winchester with the 3 africa calibers and that’s about it

And a Ruger Hawkeye model in .375 or .416 Ruger. With the demise of the once affordable CZ 550 and previously the Ruger RSM, cartridges such as the .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, .404 and .500 Jeffrey, .505 Gibbs are now either expensive used or custom jobs out of the reach of the average hunter.

 

[Odinsraven]

They likely turn out and sell more .270 and .308’s in a week than safari class cartridges (excluding .375) will sell in years. I was a member of NSSF for a while. Sales for ammo and rifles above .300 Win Mag are miniscule. These companies are in business to make a profit. They will make what sells.

There is not enough market demand to even support ammo manufacturing for the .404 Jeff other than by Hornady and even that is erratic and infrequent at best. .416 Rem dwarfs the .404 in ammo sales, yet Winchester only runs M70 .416’s every couple of years or less often.

Now there is a man who knows what he is talking about ......average shelf life in Europe of a safari calibre is two years until resold...From personal experience .

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I wanted a 404 so I built one from a Czech military Mauser. I have about $2600 in it but could have finished it cheaper with a few shortcuts (e.g. synthetic stock). If a 300 RUM could be found in Model 70, converting it to 404 should be a simple matter. Possibly only requiring a new barrel. Box should be wide and long enough. Maybe some slight modification to feeding rails ... or maybe not. Bolt face and extractor should work fine as is.

Edit: Unfortunately, a Model 70 in 300 RUM is unobtanium. Apparently they don't make it in that caliber. 300 WSM has the correct bolt face but box won't work. 375 H&H box is too large and rails would need work. I'm sure it could be converted to 404 but it would be challenging.

 

[DaBill]

I haven’t personally seen anyone build a .404 Jeffery off a .375 H&H action, but I’ve read that it works really well. The Jeffery is actually a little shorter overall than the .375, so it should feed fine in a magnum-length action. From what I’ve come across, rifles like the CZ 550 or Model 70 in .375 H&H make pretty straightforward donor rifles — mostly just a rebarrel and maybe some feed rail work.

 

[Maskell Shotgun academy]

I haven’t personally seen anyone build a .404 Jeffery off a .375 H&H action, but I’ve read that it works really well. The Jeffery is actually a little shorter overall than the .375, so it should feed fine in a magnum-length action. From what I’ve come across, rifles like the CZ 550 or Model 70 in .375 H&H make pretty straightforward donor rifles — mostly just a rebarrel and maybe some feed rail work.

 

[Maskell Shotgun academy]

This is a post 64 New Haven model 70 in 404 Jeffrey

 

[DaBill]

That a very very Nice looking rifle. Could you tell us a bit about how it all came together?

 

[Nevada Mike]

Looks like it’s discontinued according to midway. Still shows on Norma’s website, but not available anywhere. They show other rounds that haven’t been available in long time also like 350 gr 375 H&H.

Yes, Midway is a distributor and unlikely won't stock items that don't turn quickly. If everyone demanded it and they sold quickly the situation would likely be reversed.

Norma has said that their Safari big bore ammo is a money loser, but helps them with the prestige of their ammo lines. So it's good for sales I guess.

 

[Shootist43]

The "new" Montana rifle Co. currently has such a rifle in their que. Maybe sometime in 2026 or 2027.
Take a look at some of the earlier threads on this subject. Cost was / is anticipated to be in the $3,600 neighborhood.

 

[Zinz]

Might be a dumb question but could a .404 be built from a standard length action Mod 70. I have a stainless New Haven in .270 that I’m looking to rebarrel into something…

Thanks,
Ed Z

 

[ve7poi]

Rebarrel a 416 rem mag and grind off little projections on mag well sides to let it open up to hold 3 rounds.

 

[Maskell Shotgun academy]

That a very very Nice looking rifle. Could you tell us a bit about how it all came together?

Ben Piper from Piper rifles built it from the ground up!! He had the wood sent in from turkey and the 24” barrel is a Lothar, sights are NECG except the rear, it’s ajustable and I can’t remember where he got it,
It also has a muzzle Brake if I want to use it and it also has two recoil reducers in the stock with a threaded rod in the grip for strength, the end cap is buffalo horn as well as the cross bolt covers on the side of the stock, with the scope it’s 11.5 pounds!
It’s perfectly balanced in my opinion

 

[DaBill]

Do you know what action he used? What type of recoil reducers did he use?

 

[Maskell Shotgun academy]

Do you know what action he used? What type of recoil reducers did he use?

That’s a model 70